Journal box lid



April 14, 1942; H. J. HORN 2,279,822.

JOURNAL .BOX LID Filed Feb. 3, 1941 INVENTOR. #4629) .1. HOP/V cmm m' ATTORNEY.

Patented Apr. 14, 1942 JOURNAL Box LID Harry J. Horn, Lansing, Mich., assignor to Motor Wheel Corporation, Lansing, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application February 3, 1941, Serial No. 377,113

8 Claims.

This invention relates to railway car journal boxes, and more particularly to hinged lids therefor.

Journal box lids in common use at present are formed of two major parts, namely, a hood pivotally .connected to a hinge lug on the journal box, and a cover connected to the hood for limited universal movement relative thereto. The last mentioned connection is" ordinarily very loose to permit the cover to'adjust itself to the rim of the opening in the journal box. A spring is connected to the hood to engage the hinge lug on the journal box and hold the journal box lid either in open or closed position. Heretofore this spring has been the only means for preventing undue relative movement between the hood and cover whenthe lid is closed. The spring does thereof is minimized, regardless of Wear in the other parts of the assembly;

The essence of the invention resides in forming the hood and cover so that they engage each other'in a zone remote from the stud or pin connecting them together, and providing resilient means independent of the usual closure spring for holding the hood and cover in tight frictional engagement in that zone.

In the following specification reference will be k made to the accompanying drawing, wherein Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a journal box lid assembly embodying the invention;

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on substantially the line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of a rubber ring forming a part of the means for holding the hood and cover together;

Figure 4 is a plan view of the ring;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the journal box assembly illustrating a device for holding the closure spring in compressed position to permit removal of the lid from the journal box;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary front elevational 5,.

view showing a modified form of the invention; and v Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view taken on substantially the line 1-1 of Figure 6.

Figures 1 to 4 of the drawing illustrate on form of the invention. A portion of a standard A. R. A. journal box is shown in dotted lines in Figure 2 and designated by the numeral l0. At the upper end of the journal box and centrally thereof is a hinge lug ll having a cam surface l2 thereon.

The journal box lid assembly is shown in full lines in Figures 1 and 2. It comprises generally ahood l3anda cover I4. y

The hood I3 is substantially rectangular in elevation (see Figure 1). At its opposite sides adjacent the upper ends thereof are ears [3a. The ears I3a are provided with apertures to receive a pintle I5 passing through the hinge lug H to hinge'the hood-to the journal box. The end of the pintle is split-at [5 so that the ends may be separated to prevent accidental removal of the pintle.

Near the upper end of the hood is a coil spring assembly comprising a housing I! received in a hole in the hood. A hollow cylindrical plunger I8 is telescopically received in the housing ll. A plate I9 is riveted to the end of the plunger I8 and normally bears against the cam surface l2 of the hinge lug l I, being urged against said cam surface by a coil spring 20 within the plunger and housing. 1

The plate I9 is provided with a protuberance 2| that compensates to some extent for Wear of the cam surface of the hinge lug. The plate is also provided with an aperture 22 axially aligned with a similar aperture 23 in the hood [3 to receive a bolt 24. The bolt 24 is employed only when the lid assembly is to be installed upon or removed from the journal box. When so used, the bolt and a nut 25 thereon hold the spring 20 in compressed position, releasing its pressure on the hinge lug and-permitting the pintle IE to be removed.

Near its lower end, the hood is shaped to the cross-section shown in Figure 2, thus providing a substantially spherical recess 26 in its inner surface. Centrally of the recess is a hole 21, the purpose of which will appear presently.

The cover I4 is approximately rectangular in elevation and is provided about its periphery with a flange 28. The cover I4 is shaped to the crosssection shown in Figure 2 to provide an inwardly extending stiffening rib 2 9 and an outwardly projecting spherical protuberance 30. Centrally of the protuberance is a hole 3|. The radius of the spherical protuberance is greater than the radius of the recess 26 in the hood. Thus, when the protuberance 30 is positioned in the recess 26, the parts contact only on a circle concentric with and remote from the holes 21 and 3|.

Projecting through the holes 27 and 3| is a stud 32. The stud 32 has a head 33 and a shank portion 34 of a diameter considerably smaller than the hole 21 but larger than the hole 3|. The end of the stud opposite the head is threaded to receive a nut 35. The diameter of the threaded portion is such as to fit reasonably closelyinthe hole 3|.

A rubber ring 36 (Figures sand 4) is enciosed within two annular metal rings 31 to protect it from the weather (see Figure 2) and is located between the head 32 of the stud and the outside surface of the hood. When the nut 35 is drawn up tightly the rubber ring is'placed in compress sion, thus drawing'the hoodand cover tightly together. The end of the stud is then peened over to prevent removal Q41" the nut 35. From the abovedescription it will be seen that thecgver is capableof limited universal movemer t relative to the hood since the hole 21 is large enough for the stud to move therein. Thus, the cover [4 can adjust itself to the journal box so as to fit snugly thereon. The relatively heavy fricti 'nal contact between the two spherical surfaces of the recess and protuberance, caused by the compressed rubber'ring 36, prevents relative movement of the hood and cover due to vibration. Therefore, the prevention of such relative movement is not dependent upon the spring 20 as previous journal box lids, and there is little wear between the hood and cover. The life of the ssem l e eeidiee s very i a A qqme rqrm or t i n n; is sho n in Figurese and'l. "In general it is identical to the lid assembly previouslydescribed. "It comprises a hood I 3 having a recess 26, and a cover IQ having a spherical protuberance 30. A stud 32 holds the two parts together.

Instead'of'arubber ring, a metal spring 50 is provided to' maintain the hood and cover in tight frictional engagement. The spring 50 is generally rectangularin elevation (see Figure 6) and has a hole in-its center't o receive the stud 32'. The corners 5| of the spring are bent out .121

of the plane of the central portion of the spring toward the hood, as shown in Figure 7. The extreme tips of the cerners are reversely bent whereby to present rounded surfaces 52 for engagement with the hood l3. r

The spring 50; acts in the same way as the rubber ring 35, being stressed by the stud when 35" 9a t s u s th ead d home, and thereby holding the hood and cover against undue relative movement." Theresiliency or the ame "d es Perm t l ii i m a e t of the ead and co e hereb hela er u om c seats tightly against the rim of 'the' journal'box opening.

The invention provides; a simpie and effective 3 mean renam n elai vewe i wn of t QP a d 9 eflieu e l QX liq assembly, regardlessof wear of the journal box hinge lug and relatedpartsfl The scope of the invention is indicated in the appended claims.

I claim: 1L Afjournal box slid assembly comprising a hood'member adapted for pivotal connection to a journal box hinge lu'g', a cover member, one of Cal said members having a substantially spherical recess therein, the other member comprising a protuberance having a spherical surface of greater radius than the radius of said recess and received therein, and means securing said members together for limited universal movement of said protuberance in said recess, said means including resilient means. biasing'said members together. 1

2. A journal box lid assembly comprising a hood member adapted for pivotal connection to a journal box hinge lug, a cover member, one of said members having a substantially spherical recess, the ,other member comprising a protuberance having a substantially spherical surface of greater. radius than the radius of said recess and received therein, a stud secured to one of said members centrally of said recess and loosely fitting in a hole in the other member,

- in combination, a hinge lug on the journal box,

a hood member pivotally connected to said hinge lug, spring means connected to said hood and engaging saidhinge lug for biasing said lid assembly toward its closed position, a cover member, and means securing said members together in frictional engagement with each other and permitting limited relative universal movement thereof, said connecting means including resilient means independent of said first named spring biasing said members toward each other.

4. Ajournal box and lid assembly comprising, in combination, a hinge lug onthe journal box, a hoodmember pivotally connected to said hinge lug, spring means connected to said hood and engaging said hinge lug for biasing said lid toward its closed position, a cover member, and means securing said members together for limited relative universal movement, said means including resilient means biasing said members toward each other, said members frictionally engaging each other at points remote from said securing means.

5. A journal box and lid assembly comprising, in combination, a hinge lug on the journal box, a hood member pivotally connected to the hinge lug, spring means connected to the hood and engaging the hinge lug for biasing said lid toward its closed position, a cover member, one of said members having a substantially spherical recess therein, the other member comprising a protuberance having a spherical surface of greater radius than the radius of said recess received in the latter, and means securing said members together including r silient means independent of said first named spring means biasing said members toward each other.

6. A journal. box lid assembly comprising a hood member adapted for pivotal connection to a journal box, a cover member, one of said mem-.- bers having a recess and an opening therethrough located centrally of said recess, the other member having a protuberance received in said recess and touching the'walls thereof only at points remote from said opening, a stud extending through said opening and securing said members together, and resilient means surrounding said stud for biasing said members toward each other.

7. A journal box lid assembly comprising a hood member, a cover member, one of said memmembers having registering openings therein, one of said members being recessed in the zone surrounding the opening therein, another member having a protuberance received in said recess and touching the walls thereof only at points remote from said openings, and means extending through said openings for stressing said resilient member and holding said members in juxtaposed relationship while permitting limited movement of said protuberance within said recess.

HARRY J. HORN. 

